Many automobiles have a front suspension using a MacPherson strut arrangement or similar type of strut arrangement. In such a strut arrangement, a top mounting point of a strut is attached to an upper strut mounting assembly. The upper strut mounting assembly is attached to a strut tower of the automobile. The strut tower is a portion of the chassis of the automobile. Loads exerted on the front suspension are transmitted from a front suspension assembly, such as a control arm and a strut, to the chassis via the upper strut mounting assembly.
Factory upper strut mounting assemblies suitably attached to the strut tower often allow camber of the front suspension to be adjusted, but not caster. One arrangement for allowing camber to be adjusted is to provide slots in the strut tower and to mount the upper strut mounting assemblies to the strut towers via fasteners extending through the corresponding slots. Moving the upper strut mounting assemblies relative to the corresponding slots facilitates adjustments in camber. However, the range of adjustment for camber afforded by the slots is often insufficient for achieving desired or preferred camber settings on a lowered vehicle or a vehicle with a modified front suspension.
A caster-camber plate assembly is an example of an upper strut mounting assembly. The caster-camber plate assembly permits the caster and the camber to be adjusted. Some caster-camber plate assemblies allow the caster and camber to be independently adjusted from each other, while others permit camber and caster to be adjusted jointly. Desired or at least preferred front suspension alignment setting can be better achieved by enabling the caster and camber to be adjusted. Also, caster-camber plate assemblies, such as those disclosed in accordance with the present invention, generally provide for greater adjustment of caster and/or camber than do factory upper strut mounting assemblies.
A caster-camber plate assembly having a conventional construction suffers from one or more drawbacks. A caster camber plate assembly having a conventional construction is referred to herein as a conventional caster-camber plate assembly. Conventional caster-camber plates are commercially available from a variety of manufacturers and distributors such as, for example, Steeda Autosports, Griggs Racing and Brothers Performance. Examples of drawbacks associated with a conventional caster-camber plate assemblies include, but are not limited to, less than optimal strength of one or more caster-camber plate assembly components, little or no caster adjustability, limited clearance for a coil-over upper spring perch, incompatibility with original equipment spring isolators, incompatibility with original equipment dust boots, dependent caster and camber adjustment and complexity of installation. These limitations reduce the reliability, effectiveness and/or versatility of a conventional caster-camber plate assembly.
Accordingly, a caster-camber plate assembly capable of overcoming one or more of these drawbacks would be advantageous, desirable and useful.